Walking golf ball

ABSTRACT

The walking golf ball comprises a spherical hollow casing containing a motor, and legs activated by the motor to cause the golf ball to advance with a walking motion toward a cup or other target selected by the player. Control of the motor preferably is by means of a small lever or the like projecting from the ball at a location of little prominence, and which may be manipulated more or less casually by the head of a golf club. The mechanism includes means for directing the ball along a generally straight course, with a deliberate side-to-side wobble.

United States Patent Donald B. Poynter 7 Arcadia Place, Cincinnati, Ohio45208 [21] Appl. No. 745,605

[22] Filed July 17, 1968 [45] Patented Mar. 30, 1971 [72] Inventor [S4]WALKING GOLF BALL 6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs. [52] US. Cl 272/27, 273/1,273/199, 46/150 [51] Int. Cl A63b 43/00 [50] Field of Search 272/1, 1

(B(),8,8(N);273/58,58(1),58 (3),58 (4),58(6),58(7),58(8),58(9),58(01),199,1, 1 (E); 46/150, 149,243; 180/8, 8 (1)-8 (9); 280/].181,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,928 9/ 1901 Goodier eta1. 180/8(2) Gelb et a1. 273/58(1)X 2,942,379 6/1960 Oman et a1.273/58(9)UX 2,949,697 8/1960 Ligitis et a1. 46/243(RMO) 3,226,878 l/1966Glass et al 46/150 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,827 9/1933 Germany 46/149 16,0121910 Great Britain 46/150 Primary ExaminerAnton O. Oechsle AssistantExaminerAmold W. Kramer Attorney-J. Warren Kinney, Jr

ABSTRACT: The walking golf ball comprises a spherical hollow casingcontaining a motor, and legs activated by the motor to cause the golfball to advance with a walking motion toward a cup or other targetselected by the player. Control of the motor preferably is by means of asmall lever or the like projecting from the ball at a location of littleprominence, and which may be manipulated more or less casually by thehead of a golf club. The mechanism includes means for directing the ballalong a generally straight course, with a deliberate side-to-sidewobble.

Patg t 'd' Mmhjso, 1.971 3,572,696

INVENTOR DONALD B. POYNTER WALKING GOLF BALL The present inventionrelates to a walking golf ball, which is an amusement device or noveltyitem.

An object of the invention is to provide an amusement device in the formof a simulated golf ball which may be placed near a cup and caused towalk toward or into the cup, without guidance from the. player.

Another object of the invention is to provide an amusement device of thecharacter stated, which includes a small motor and legs driven therebyfor imparting locomotion to the device along a generally straight pathmodified by a wobble to opposite sides of the path of advancement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an amusement device in theform of a walking golf ball, which includes a motor starter that may beactuated casually by the golfer using the head of a golf club, while thedevice rests upon the green or other surface. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter stated, which issimple and inexpensive of construction, andtherefore salable at a reasonable price.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means describedherein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the walking golf ball as it might beplaced near a cup upon the green.

FIG. 2 is a cross section showing the cup, and a walking golf ball aboutto be placed in motion by slight movement of a golf club head, toapproach the .cup.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the device of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section through the device.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are elevational views indicating the mode of locomotioncharacterizing the device.

The walking golf ball comprises a substantially spherical casing closelysimulating the appearance of a genuine golf ball, as shown. The casingmay comprise two separable parts 10 and 12 normally meeting along aparting line 14 to form a spherical body. The casing parts may each besubstantially hemispherical, and hollow, to provide a chamber whenassembled. The chamber is adapted to envelop and conceal a motor 16,which in the example illustrated, is a spring motor to be wound by meansof a key 18. A winding shah 20 detachable accommodates the key inconventional manner, and said shaft is accessible through a slot 22formed in casing part 12, FIGS. 2 and 3.

Slot 22 may be partially closed by an extending tongue v2d on part 10,which tongue may abut the winding shaft to stabilize the motor withinthe casing. Other tongues or friction members 26 may be fixed to onecasing part or section such as 12, to frictionally engage the other partor section 10, for holding the sections in place upon one another. Thesections may be joined either permanently or temporarily, in anysuitable manner.

The lower section 12 may be provided with a substantially flat circularbase 28 upon which the device may rest normally, as in FIG. I. Said basehas formed therein a pair of spaced parallel slots 30, 30 (FIG. 2),through which may project in alternation the legs or impellers 32 and 34activated by motor 16. The base portion of the device may be weighted bymeans of a stabilizer 36 which has an aperture 38 formed therein toaccommodate motor 16 and legs 32, 34. The stabilizer may be a weight ofheavy metal shaped to conform with the chamber of ball section 12, andwill preferably have a flat bottom 40 to rest upon the slotted base ofthe lower section.

The spring motor 16 includes a terminal shaft 42 rotatable in onedirection, the shaft extending through the housing of the motor toexpose opposite shaft ends upon which the legs or impellers are fixed.Rotation of the shaft 42 is controlled by a control lever 44 having oneend pivoted at 46 upon the motor housing, and an opposite end 48 adaptedto intercept a flywheel 50 for stopping the motor. The interceptor end48 may be moved into and out of contact with flywheel 50, by means of asmall actuator or projection 54 of lever 44 which passes through a smallaperture 52 formed in the lower section 12 of the ball.

As indicated upon FIG. 2, the motor control projection 54 may bemanipulated using the head 56 of a golf club, to start or stop the motor16. This may be accomplished in a casual manner, as will be understood.

The legs or impellers 32 and 34 are fixedly mounted upon opposite endsof motor shaft 42, and each may comprise a flat plate of metal or othersuitable material, serrated at one end to provide a series of longprongs 58. The prongs of a leg are separated by deep intervening spaces60, which permit blades of grass to enter as the device travels, therebyimproving traction and stability of the device as it advances over agrassy surface such as a golf green.

As best indicated upon FIG. 4, the pronged ends of the legs arediametrically opposed to one another, and will therefore be exposedalternately through the slots of base 28, to propel the walking ball.According to FIGS. 5 and 6, propulsion by a leg 34 will be accompaniedby dragging of a remote portion of base 28 upon the green, and thisoccurs also while leg 32 is extended and moved. As the result of thiscondition, the ball will be advanced toward a cup 62 or other targetalong a generally straight line, modified however, by a slight wobble toopposite sides of the line of advancement. The resulting apparentuncertainty of direction enhances the amusement factor, but does not inthe final analysis detour the ball from a target at which it may bepointed by the player.

The motor 16 may be one operated by miniature electric batteries or drycells, if desired. It is contemplated also that control of the operatingmotor may be efi'ected by means other than projection 54, and the motorcontrol means may be exposed at various locations, such as in the base28, or on the top of the ball. These and other modifications andchangesin structural details of the device may be made, within the scopeof the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

lclaim:

1. A self-propelled ball, comprising: a spherical casing; a motorconfined within said casing, said motor including gear means, a shaftwithin said casing connected to be rotated by said gear means, saidshaft disposed to one side of the center of said casing and rotatablysupported at its opposite ends on said casing; a substantially flatcircular base on an external surface portion of said casing adjacentsaid shaft, said base having a perimeter less than the perimeter of saidcasing; a pair of spaced parallel slots in said base located on oppositesides of a perpendicular plane bisecting the plane of the base; a pairof propelling legs connected to said shaft adjacent opposite endsthereof within said casing for rotation with said shaft, said legscomprising elongate members each connected at one end to said shaft andextending perpendicularly therefrom, said legs extending in oppositedirections from said shaft with the free ends thereof adapted to projectalternately through said slots externally of said casing to alternatelyengage a surface upon which said ball is resting to propel said ballalong said surface, the ball being supported upon the surface by one ofsaid legs projecting through an associated slot and by a portion of themarginal periphery of said base generally opposite said projecting leg,whereby said ball is caused to advance with a wobbly side-to-sidemotion.

2. A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, including means for selectivelystarting and stopping said motor.

3. A self-propelled ball as in claim 2, wherein said means comprises amovable projection including a portion for locking said motor and aprojection exposed exteriorly of the casing for actuation by the head ofa golf club.

4. A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, including weight means in saidcasing for maintaining said ball oriented with said base in a downposition.

5. A self-propelled ball as in claim I, wherein said free ends of saidlegs are serrated.

6. A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, wherein said casing is in twosubstantially hemispherical parts joined together.

1. A self-propelled ball, comprising: a spherical casing; a motorconfined within said casing, said motor including gear means, a shaftwithin said casing connected to be rotated by said gear means, saidshaft disposed to one side of the center of said casing and rotatablysupported at its opposite ends on said casing; a substantially flatcircular base on an external surface portion of said casing adjacentsaid shaft, said base having a perimeter less than the perimeter of saidcasing; a pair of spaced parallel slots in said base located on oppositesides of a perpendicular plane bisecting the plane of the baSe; a pairof propelling legs connected to said shaft adjacent opposite endsthereof within said casing for rotation with said shaft, said legscomprising elongate members each connected at one end to said shaft andextending perpendicularly therefrom, said legs extending in oppositedirections from said shaft with the free ends thereof adapted to projectalternately through said slots externally of said casing to alternatelyengage a surface upon which said ball is resting to propel said ballalong said surface, the ball being supported upon the surface by one ofsaid legs projecting through an associated slot and by a portion of themarginal periphery of said base generally opposite said projecting leg,whereby said ball is caused to advance with a wobbly side-to-sidemotion.
 2. A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, including means forselectively starting and stopping said motor.
 3. A self-propelled ballas in claim 2, wherein said means comprises a movable projectionincluding a portion for locking said motor and a projection exposedexteriorly of the casing for actuation by the head of a golf club.
 4. Aself-propelled ball as in claim 1, including weight means in said casingfor maintaining said ball oriented with said base in a down position. 5.A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, wherein said free ends of said legsare serrated.
 6. A self-propelled ball as in claim 1, wherein saidcasing is in two substantially hemispherical parts joined together.